A momentary mental lapse by Carter, who appeared to vote both for and against a series of textbook purchases, continues to ripple outward more than two months after the fact.

Donalds still isn’t satisfied with the explanations of parliamentary procedure she’s received as to how Carter’s nay vote came to be a yea.

And there’s a concern the technical glitch may play into a lawsuit already filed against the school district by parents and activists who think the process was flawed and the books in question are inaccurate and promote a liberal political agenda.

But the fact is, the purchase has already taken place. “Some are in classrooms, some are still en route,” district spokesman Greg Turchetta said Friday.

The few minutes in question came near the end of the four-hour June 1 board meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to hear objections to six textbooks the board had previously approved for purchase.

Once all the objectors had spoken, the board took more than 30 minutes trying to craft a motion to suit everybody.

Initially, the motion by board member Stephanie Lucarelli was to approve all six books. Carter seconded it.

Board member Kelly Lichter weighed in with a preference to vote on each of the six separately.

Donalds sought a middle ground, hoping to rescind the purchase of a single book and leave the rest for later.

Much discussion followed, some of it leaving the board members and their staff uncertain of exactly what was being proposed.

“I’m really lost at this point,” board attorney and parliamentarian Jon Fishbane admitted. “Now she’s amending an amendment. Which one are we going to take up?”

Superintendent Kamela Patton tried to make sure things were done by the book. “We’re very lawsuit-friendly in this county,” she said.

It ended up with a motion to reaffirm the purchase of five of the six books, with the sixth to be decided later.

That’s when things got even stranger.

Board Chairman Roy Terry called the question, “All in favor of that motion signify by saying aye.” On the videotape, Carter leans toward the microphone as a chorus of ayes can be heard.

Watch the video:

Terry asks for the other side. Donalds and Lichter vote, “Nay.” Then Carter leans in and appears to vote a second time.

No one seemed to notice, and Terry announced the outcome as 3 to 2 to reaffirm the purchase.

Discussion moved to the sixth book but Carter wanted to clarify his vote. Big mistake.

“I did say nay. I don’t think I got to the microphone in time. I’m a little confused.”

Patton had caught the error. “We need to go back. You just voted against the five books,” she said.

“No. Then it was a yea,” Carter reversed himself.

Bedlam reigned for a few seconds before Fishbane turned to the board secretary to ask what she heard. She said she heard Carter as an affirmative vote in favor of the books. Fishbane asked Carter if he was OK with that interpretation. Carter agreed. That seemed to settle it.

But not so.

Local Attorney Doug Lewis has been peppering Fishbane and other school officials with questions about whether proper procedure was followed to correct what Carter admitted was initially a nay vote.

And Donalds has objected to the meeting minutes, which originally did not reflect the confusion and contradictions of the meeting.

When the minutes were first up for approval on July 25, Donalds asked that they be revised and brought back for approval later.

On Tuesday, the June 1 minutes were again on the board agenda for approval.

They had been revised, giving a fuller account of what happened, but still didn’t explain the parliamentary process by which Carter was allowed to change a nay to an aye.

“They beefed it up. They added more details. But what I was specifically asking about was the rationale,” she explained.

But when the minutes came up for approval at the beginning of the meeting, Donalds was late asking for the minutes to be discussed further. Terry called for and received a motion to approve them and it passed 3 to 2, with Donalds and Lichter against.

For his part, Lewis says he has no intention of filing any sort of lawsuit over the bungled vote. But he’d still like answers as to how the purchase was justified. “The process is important, especially as an attorney,” he said.

Since the lawsuit filed by parents over the book purchases is still pending, Fishbane has asked school officials to be cautious when talking about the matter.

Donalds realizes that the book purchase is a done deal and that procedures aside, “The majority is going to get its way, no matter what.”

“I just want it to be recorded correctly and if it needs to be fixed, fix it.”

Unfortunately, at this point, the fix would probably only add more confusion.